Machine for shaping uppers over lasts



W. N. BRAY Jan. 3, 1939.

MACHINE FOR SHAPING UPPERS OVER LASTS Filed Feb. 25, 1938 TUE.

Patented Jan. 3, 1939 2,142,234

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MACHINE FOR SHAPING UPPERS OVER LASTS William Neil Bray, Leicester, England, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application February 23, 1938, Serial No. 191,861 In Great Britain April 12, 1937 Claims. (01. 12-4) This invention relates to machines for shaping with still another feature, the invention provides uppers over lasts, and more particularly to the a novel construction affording provision for quick work-positioning means of such machines. The release of the insole-positioning device so that invention is herein illustrated as applied to a differently formed devices may be readily utilized pulling-over machine of the character, disclosed for shoes of diiferent styles or sizes. in United States Letters Patent No. 1,979,420, The above and other features of the invention, granted on November 6, 1934, upon an applicaincluding various novel details of construction tion of G. P. Swales, W. TI B. Roberts and H. and combinations of parts, will now be more par- Lane, the construction of portions of the machine ticularly described with reference to the accom- 10 being more fully disclosed in Letters Patent No. panying drawing and thereafter pointed out in I0 1,029,387, granted on June 11, 1912, upon an apthe claims. plication of R. F. McFeely. It is to be understood, In the drawing, however, that in its more general aspects the in- Fig. 1 is a view partly in right-hand side elevavention is not limited to machines of that partion and partly in se t o O a D H O a aticular character. chine in which the invention is illustrated as ein- It has been proposed heretofore to provide the bodied, indicating by broken lines the position of work rest of a pulling-over machine with a device a shoe on the work rest; for positioning the toe end of an insole, mounted F g. 2 shows the Work rest and other p rts as loosely on the last, in proper relation to the last viewed in the direction of the arrow on Fig.

' by engagement with the edge of the insole and 3 s a s n O t e line III-III Of 20 with the last when the work is presented to the d machine. Such a device, comprising insole-posi- 4 is a V e ainly in side elevation of a tioning fingers arranged to extend heightwise of modification of a portion of the structure shown the last in locations substantially at the corners in out No. 2,133,402, granted on October 18, 1938 with a work rest which supports the last and its upon an application of F. Ricks and W. N. Bray. shoe materi ls ins the force f the p p- An object of the present invention is to provide an plied to the upp in the pulling-Over Op improved construction such as to afford increased s Work rest in the construction herein shown '5 of the toe, is shown in United States Letters Pat- A machine f the illustrated typ s pr v d d insurance that the insole will be positioned inin lu a ng l which is generally ar proper relation to the last when the upper is to the casting I29 shown in the above-mentioned fastened to the insole after it has been pulled over Letters Patent No. h s Casti g is the last. To this end, in accordance with one mounted to turn-as'heretofore abouta shaftfi and feature of the invention, the construction herein n the Ope ation of the machine is thus turned 35' shown comprises means whereby the operator y a Cam (not shown) ag ng a roll 5 on the may force the insole and last lengthwise toward t ng to increase somewhat the force of the the insole-positioning fingers while the upper is p of pp s 4 o t pp as the pp held under tension by the pulling-over grippers, e p te to p the pp A180 ounted to the fingers being held positively in position to return on the shaft 3 and supported on the pp ceive the thrust of the last and the insole. In e Oft e Cas g i is guide member 5 p accordance with another feature, the insole-posi- Vided with a channel which serves as a guide tioning device is so mounted as to permit it to for a slide 1. Pivotally n ed on screws 9 move in one direction or the other widthwise of which are threaded in the slide 7 and extend the last in response to pressure of the work o gh s o 8 in the member 6 are Wa Y 52 against, it in th upper-pulling p r ti n, thu extending arms of a plate ll provided at one end guarding against relative displacement of the thereof with a pa of Dresser feet 13 a d 5 for last and the insole in case the pull of the grippers engaging the bottom" face of an insole is on the on the upper should tend to displace the toe end last in locations spaced apart d W se of the of the last laterally. Further to facilitate lateral insole. A screw I! is threaded in the p t ii movement of the toe end of the insole under such and is arranged to bear at its lower end on a conditions, in one illustrative embodiment of the member hereinafter described for adjusting the invention a work rest member engaging. the botplate about the screws 9 and thus adjusting the tom face of the toe end of the insole is 50- mounted presser feet I3 and t5 in directions heightwise of as to permit it to shift freely with the insole in the last. The slide 1 extends toewardly with redirections widthwise of the last. In accordance spect to the last beyond the guide member 5- and 5 is provided on this extended portion with an upper face I8 which serves to support a plate I 9 having formed thereon a pair of gage fingers 2| arranged to extend heightwise of the last for engagement with the edge of the insole and with the last in locations at the corners of the toe to position the insole in proper relation to the last.

Extending upwardly through a slot in the plate I9, in the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is a presser foot 23 arranged to engage the insole in a location substantially midway between the opposite side edges thereof nearer the end of the toe than the presser feet I3 and I5. Secured in a portion of the presser foot 23 which extends downwardly into a recess in the slide I is a pin 25 which extends at its opposite ends into slots 26 formed in the slide. A spring-pressed plunger 27 mounted in the slide I bears against a downwardly extending tail portion 28 of the presser foot 23 and thus serves normally to raise the presser foot somewhat above the upper face of the plate I9. Accordingly, when the work is presented to the machine the insole engages the presser foot 23 and by its pressure thereon swings it about the axis of the pin 25 against the resistance of the spring plunger 21. The presser foot has teeth thereon for engaging the insole, and by reason of their relation to the axis of the pin 25 these teeth have a component of movement lengthwise of the last toward the fingers 2| as the presser foot is swung in the manner above described. The presser foot, therefore, in response to the pressure of the insole thereon, tends to force the insole lengthwise toward the fingers 2| to insure that the insole will properly engage these fingers. If the edge of the insole firmly engages the fingers 2| before the presser foot 23 is swung downwardly far enough to permit the bottom face of the insole to rest on the plate I 9, further downward pressure of the insole on the presser foot will result in movement of the pin 25 in a heelward direction along the slots 26 against the resistance of the spring plunger 21, so that there will be no danger that the presser foot will buckle the insole by forcing it too hard against the fingers 2|.

Formed on the shaft 3 are teeth 30 men-- gagement with rack teeth on the lower face of the slide I, and fast on the shaft is a hand lever 29 by which it may be turned. By means of this hand lever, therefore, the slide I may be moved lengthwise of the last in a toeward direction, such movement of the slide being yieldingly resisted by a spring 3| mounted in the casting I between a shoulder on the slide and a lug 32 on the guide member 6. This spring normally holds the slide in a position determined by engagement of a lug 33 thereon with one end of the member 6. When the slide "I is moved as above described it carries the two presser feet I3 and I5 and the central presser foot 23 with it and accordingly serves to force the insole into engagement with the gage fingers 2| if it is not already in such engagement. It is contemplated that the hand lever 29 will thus be used to move the slide I after the upper has been pulled by the grippers and while it is held under tension by the grip pers. If the last also should be out of engagement with the fingers at this time, it will be forced toward them by reason of the frictional contact of the insole with it. Increased insurance will thus be afforded that the last and the insole will be in proper relation to each other when the upper is thereafter fastened to the insole in the further operation of the machine.

In order to render the gage fingers 2| effective to determine the proper relation of the last and the insole when the slide I is moved as above described, these fingers are held positively against movement lengthwise of the last in response to pressure of the insole or the last against them. For this purpose the plate I9 has a heelwardly extending portion 35 arranged to cooperate with a retaining member 31 pivoted at 39 on a cover plate 40 fast on the guide member 6, this retaining member being provided with 2. depending pin 4| arranged to enter a hole in the portion 35 of the plate I9 to hold the plate against movement lengthwise of the last. The retaining member 37, against which the previously mentioned screw l1 bears, is held normally in operative position by a plate 43 having an end portion arranged to overlap the retaining member and thus to prevent it from swinging upwardly out of its normal position. A spring 45 mounted in a re cess in the slide 7 and engaging a lug 46 on the plate 43 serves to hold this plate yieldingly in operative position. The plate is provided on one end with an upturned finger 41 by which the operator may slide it against the resistance of the spring 45 to withdraw it from over the retaining member 31 so as to permit the latter to be swung upwardly about its pivot 39 torelease the plate I9. This permits the plate I9 to be readily removed and another plate having thereon gage fingers differently arranged for a shoe of different style or size to be readily substituted.

The central presser foot 23 is somewhat narrower than the slot in the plate I9 through which it projects, and accordingly provision is afforded for limited swinging movement of the plate and its gage fingers 2| in directions widthwise of the shoe about the pin 4| in response to pressure of the last and the insole against the fingers. This tends to prevent relative displacement of the last and the insole in case, for example, the pull of the grippers on the upper should tend to displace the toe end of the last laterally.

The machine is further provided with means whereby the insole-engaging presser feet I3, I5 and 23 may be adjusted as a unit in directions heightwise of the last, as may be desirable under different conditions. This means comprises a downwardly extending pin 49 (Fig. 3) fixed in a bore in one side portion of the guide member 6 and projecting somewhat below the lower face of this member, and a downwardly extending screw 5| threaded in a bore in the opposite side portion of the guide member and projecting somewhat below the lower face thereof. At their lower ends the pin 49 and the screw 5| engage the straight upper edge of a plate 53 the lower edge of which is curved and engages a similarly curved face at the bottom of a guideway in the casting I in which the plate 53 lies. Adjustment of the screw 5|, which may be effected through an opening in the cover plate 40 when the plate I I is displaced, accordingly serves to raise or lower the guide member 6 and the slide 1 by swinging the guide member about the shaft 3, the plate 53 rocking in its guideway to maintain contact both with the screw and with the pin 49 during such adjustment. A spring-pressed plunger 54 (Fig. 1) bears against the slide I on the opposite side of the shaft 3 from the screw 5| and therefore serves, by its tendency to swing the slide and the member 6 in one direction about the shaft, to maintain the screw 5| and the pin 49 in contact with the plate 53.

In the use of the machine constructed as thus far described on work which comprises an upper and an insole assembled on a last with the insole loose on the last, the operator presents the toe-end portions of the insole and the last upon the work rest and moves them lengthwise into contact with the gage fingers 2i which position the toe end of the insole lengthwise and laterally in proper relation to the last. The operator also presses the last downwardly to cause the insole properly to engage the presser feet l3 and i5, and as he does this the presser foot 23 is swung about its axis by pressure of the insole thereon and serves to force the insole lengthwise toward the gage fingers to insure that its edge will firmly engage these fingers. The operator then inserts the margin of the upper materials between the open jaws of the grippers and starts the machine, whereupon the grippers pull the upper heightwise of the last and the machine then comes automatically to a stop with the upper held under tension by the grippers. If there should be any tendency in this upper-pulling operation to displace the toe end of the last laterally by the force of the pull of the grippers on the upper, the toe end of the insole will shift laterally with the last to avoid relative displacement of the last and the insole by reason or" the provision for lateral swinging movement of the plate i9. While the machine is at rest with the upper held under tension the operator swings the hand lever 29 in the direction to impart toeward movement to the slide thus causing the presser feet l3, l and 23 to urge the insole and the last lengthwise toward the gage fingers 2! for better insurance that when the upper is fastened to the insole in the further operation of the machine the last and the insole will be positioned in proper relation to each other. While holding the hand lever 29 in the position to which he has moved it, the operator again starts the machine to cause it to complete its cycle and fasten the upper to the insole.

If the operator should at any time wish to present to the machine a shoe of such different shape or size from the one previously operated upon as to require the use of gage fingers which are differently spaced from each other, he needs only to withdraw the plate 43 from its operative position by use of the finger t? on the plate and then to swing the retaining member 3! upwardly to release the plate 59 after swinging the plate H out of its normal position. The plate I9 may then be removed and a different plate substituted and locked in position by the retaining member.

In Fig. 4 is shown a modified construction in which there is substituted for the previously mentioned swinging presser foot 23 an insole-engaging block or presser foot 59 which does not extend upward relatively to the gage fingers M as far as the presser foot 23 when the latter is in its initial position. This block is supported positively by the slide l and is provided with a dovetailed guideway $8 to receive a correspondingly shaped tongue 6! formed on the slide 1 and extending widthwise of the shoe. The block 59 is accordingly movable in directions widthwise of the shoe, its movements in opposite directions being limited by fingers 63 fast on the slide 1, only one of these fingers being visible in the drawing. The provision for such lateral movement of the block 59 permits the insole while in engagement therewith readily to assume a position determined by the fingers 2i. In the construction shown in Fig. 4 the plate i9 is movable in directions widthwise of the shoe about the pin 4! as and for the purpose described with reference to the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and in the event of such swinging movement of the plate with the last and the insole in the operation of the machine the insole-engaging block 59 moves with the insole by reason of its contact therewith, thus facilitating the movement of the insole. It will further be understood that in the use of the construction shown in Fig. 4 the block 59, together with the presser feet l3 and i5, is moved by the slide 1 when the slide is operated by the hand lever 29 in the manner previously explained.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

i. In a machine for shaping uppers over lasts, the combination with grippers for pulling an upper over a last, of a Work rest for supporting the last against the pull of the grippers. by engagement with an insole loose on the last, said work rest being provided with fingers arranged to extend heightwise of the last in locations substantially at the corners of the toe to position the toe end of the insole in proper relation to the last by engagement with the edge of the insole and with the last and being provided. also with a device movable to force the insole and last lengthwise toward said fingers, mechanism movable by the operator thus to operate said device while the upper is held under tension by the grippers, and means for positively holding the fingers against movement lengthwise of the last in response to pressure of the insole or the last against them.

2. In a machine for shaping uppers over lasts, the combination with grippers for pulling an upper over a last, of a work rest for supporting the last against the pull of the grippers by engagement with an insole loose on the last, said work rest being provided with fingers arranged to extend heightwise of the last in locations substantially at the corners of the toe to position the toe end of the insole in proper relation to the last by engagement with the edge of the insole and with the last and being provided also with presser feet arranged to engage the bottom face of the insole and movable toward said fingers in a direction lengthwise of the last, mechanism comprising a hand lever movable by the operator thus to operate said presser feet while the upper is held under tension by the grippers, and means for positively holding the fingers against movement lengthwise of the last in response to pressure of the insole or the last against them.

3. In a machine for shaping uppers over lasts, the combination with grippers for pulling an upper over a last, of a work rest for supporting the last against the pull of the grippers by engagement with an insole loose on the last, said work rest bein provided with a device arranged to position the toe end of the insole lengthwise and laterally in proper relation to the last by engagement with the edge of the insole and with the last, said device being so mounted as to permit it to move with the last and the insole in one direction or the other widthwise of the last in the upper-pulling operation.

i. In a machine for shaping uppers over lasts, the combination with grippers for pulling an upper over a last, of a work rest for supporting the last against the pull of the grippers by engagement with an insole loose on the last, said work rest being provided with a device having fingers arranged to extend heightwise of the last in locations substantially at the corners of the toe to position the toe end of the insole in proper relation to the last by engagement with the edge of the insole and with the last, said device being pivotally mounted to permit it to swing in one direction or the other widthwise of the last in response topressure of the last and the insole against it in the upper-pulling operation.

5. In a machine for shaping uppers over lasts, the combination with grippers for pulling an upper over a last, of a work rest for supporting the last against the pull of the grippers by engagement with an insole loose on the last, said work rest being provided with a device arranged to position the toe end of the insole lengthwise and laterally in proper relation to the last by engagement with the edge of the insole and with the last, and a member about which said device may swing in one direction or the other widthwise of the last in response to pressure of the last and the insole against it in the upper-pulling operation, said device being releasable by displacement of said member to permit a different device to be substituted.

6. In a machine for shaping uppers over lasts, the combination with grippers for pulling an upper over a last, of a work rest for supporting the last against the pull of the grippers by engagement with an insole loose on the last, said work rest being provided with a device for positioning the toe end of the insole in proper relation to the last by engagement with the edge of the insole and with the last, and a member arranged to retain said device normally in operative position but mounted for movement out of operative relation to the device, the device being releasable by such movement of the retaining member to permit a different device to be substituted.

'7. In a machine for shaping uppers over lasts, the combination with grippers for pulling an upper over a last, of a work rest for supporting the last against the pull of the grippers by engagement with an insole loose on the last, said work rest being provided with a device for positioning the toe end of the insole in proper relation to the last by engagement with the edge of the insole and with the last, a member arranged to retain said device normally in operative position but mounted for swinging movement out of operative relation to the device, and another member movable into or out of position to maintain the retaining member in operative relation to said de- 8. In a machine for shaping uppers over lasts, the combination with grippers for pulling an upper over a last, of a work rest for supporting the last against the pull of the grippers by engagement with an insole loose on the last, said work rest being provided with a device for positioning the toe end of the insole in proper relation to the last by engagement with the edge of the insole and with the last, a retaining member provided with a pin arranged to enter a recess in said device to retain the device in operative position, said retaining member being mounted for swinging movement to withdraw the pin from said recess, and a member mounted for sliding movement into or out of position to overlap said retaining member and hold it in operative position.

9. In a machine for shaping uppers over lasts, the combination with grippers for pulling an upper over a last, of a work rest for supporting the last against the pull of the grippers by engagement with an insole loose on the last, said work rest being provided with a device for positioning the toe end of the insole lengthwise and laterally in proper relation to the last by engagement with the edge of the insole and with the last, said device being so mounted as to permit it to move with the last and the insole in one direction or the other widthwise oi the last in the upper-pulling operation, and a member arranged to engage the bottom face of the toe end of the insole and movably supported independently of said device to permit it to partake of such movement of the last and the insole.

10. In a machine for shaping uppers over lasts, the combination with grippers for pulling an upper over a last, of a work rest for supporting the last against the pull of the grippers by engagement with an insole loose on the last, said work rest being provided with a device for positioning the toe end of the insole lengthwise and laterally in proper relation to the last by engagement with the edge of the insole and with the last, said device being pivotally mounted to permit it to swing in one direction or the other widthwise of the last in response to pressure of the last and the insole against it in the upper-pulling operation, and a member arranged to engage the bottom face of the toe end of the insole and mounted for sliding movement in directions widthwise of the last to permit it to partake of any widthwise movement of the last and the insole.

WILLIAM NEIL BRAY. 

